Thursday, June 4, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Progress in Nevada? Yes, But We Still Have Work to Do!
(Cross-posted at My Silver State)
It finally happened. In case you missed last night's big news, the Nevada Legislature overrode Idiot-in-Chief Jim Gibbons' veto to make comprehensive domestic partnerships into law. Nevada is the first Mountain West state to offer legal recognition for same-sex couples, and is the first non-coastal state to do so by way of the Legislature. Believe me, I'm quite proud of "my other home state" today.
But hey, our work isn't over yet.
It's quite true that SB 283, the domestic partnership (DP) bill, will go a long way to help LGBT families. Gay and lesbian couples previously had little legal protection under state law. But starting in October, both same-sex and opposite-sex couples can register for a DP and receive largely the same legal rights as married spouses.
Again, this is a major step forward for equality in Nevada. However, it's not enough. We're still dealing with "separate but equal", and we still have far more work to do. Nevada now prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, but not gender identity. The LGBT working poor are still coping with brutal budget cuts to essential social services. And of course, gay & lesbian couples still aren't allowed the dignity and respect of full civil marriage.
I know it's easy for us to look at what happened over the weekend, pat ourselves on the back, and conclude that "gays have rights in Nevada". Perhaps so, but LGBT people still don't have full civil rights and we must keep working to eventually achieve equality for all.
Separate is never equal. LGBT people have the same hopes and dreams as everyone else. Our families deserve to enjoy the same commitment, dignity, and responsibilities of marriage. Our workers, whether they be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, deserve to be safe at work and judged for what they do, not who they are. No one deserves to be discriminated against simply because of one's sexual orientation or gender identity. All people are created equal, and the law should fully recognize that.
So let's celebrate the progress we're making today, then get back to work tomorrow. HRC Nevada did some great work with the SB 283 this year, and hopefully they'll keep it up. The Southern Nevada LGBT Center has never given up, and continues to deserve our support as they support all of our community. Nevada Women's Lobby, Progress Now Nevada, and Progressive Leadership Alliance Nevada are also committed to continue working for LGBT equality.
We're not even halfway through 2009 yet, but we've already seen so many leaps forward and falls backward. I'm heartened and joyful that Nevada's now one of those leaps forward. But hey, we're still just halfway up the stairs. Let's keep going until we achieve full equality.
Meeting in the Middle for Equality in Fresno
(Originally from my updates at OC Progressive)
I had so many questions before last weekend. And honestly, I still don't know exactly what lies ahead. However, I had many of my questions answered as I saw a glimpse of hope rising after the storm.
And yes, believe it or not, my questions were answered in Fresno!
I arrived in Fresno on Friday for Meet in the Middle 4 Equality, and I was already being blown away from the very beginning! Local LGBT civil rights activists, like Meet in the Middle Organizer Robin McGehee and Jay Matthew from Erase the H8, have clearly put together a stellar operation for this weekend. And with support from other state groups like Courage Campaign (Rick Jacobs himself was there!) and OCEC, it looked like the town was already filling up for this one-of-a-kind event.
My friend Linda and I arrived in Fresno just in time for the press conference for local media. Before the radical right could get any start demonizing all of us as "teh homosexual invaezjon army!!111!!!!1", such luminaries as Cleve Jones, Lt. Dan Choi, and Robin Tyler & Diane Olson explained that they're here in Fresno not to provoke controversy but to start dialogue on marriage equality and greater issues of civil rights. Local activists like Robin McGehee also explained that they're here all the time and they're committed to working with allies in other social justice movements to achieve equality for all in The Central Valley.
Not too long after the presser, I checked into the hotel... But only for a few minutes. I then rushed off to the other "first event of Meet in the Middle", which was the pre-party hosted by Equality Army and Erase the H8 with most of the proceeds benefitting Meet in the Middle. I connected with a few old friends, met plenty of new ones, and all around had a blast partying with my fellow queer love warriors. It was a great way to get fired up and ready to go marching the next day!
And speaking of that next day, we started off the morning walking from Selma to Fresno early Saturday morning. Yes, that's right. Hundreds of queer folks and straight (but not narrow!) folks who care about civil rights marched up Golden State Highway, many marching the entire 14.5 mile route, to demonstrate how much we want full equality for all.
We sweated together. We walked together. We jogged and ran together when necessary. But together, we all sent a powerful statement on today's civil rights struggles.
After my group marched for about 10 miles and over 3 hours, we arrived at the rally site in Downtown Fresno. We were greeted by numerous thousands of cheers! And yes, the cheering supporters far outnumbered the scattered few counter-protesters insulting us.
Once all of us marchers arrived for the rally, we were also greeted by some amazing speakers.
Charlize Theron, T.R. Knight, Eric McCormack, Cleve Jones, Rick Jacobs, Robin McGehee, Robin Tyler, and many more came to speak. But more importantly, the progressive grassroots from the Central Valley was present... And was backed up by many good activists from all over California.
I met wonderful new friends in Fresno. I chatted with old friends from Courage Campaign. I hanged with my BFFs from OCEC. It was truly a beautiful experience.
This truly felt like the start of the movement to repeal Prop H8, the start of a new way forward on securing equality in California and nationwide. I had so many questions before last weekend. And honestly, I still don't know exactly what lies ahead. However, I had many of my questions answered as I saw a glimpse of hope rising after the storm.
Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to stay in Fresno for the LGBT Leadership Summit. Remember when I told you all about that Equality Summit in LA in January? Well, it looks like we've all learned some important lessons since then. Courage Campaign and Equality California are getting along better. Most activists are ready to move on from the past. And yes, we're mostly ready to build a winning campaign for 2010 and beyond!
Yep, it seemed like this time we didn't have a problem coming together. And really, that's what we all need to do in order to secure our civil rights once and for all. We've survived the mistakes of the past, so now we need to work together to build a better future.
I feel like I saw a glimpse of the future in Fresno last weekend. I saw it with the young students who are organizing their schools. I saw it with the various grassroots Equality Teams from all over the state that are committed to changing hearts and minds one door knock at a time. I saw it with the new outreach strategies that aim to educate by showing the people in our community, not hiding them. This is the future, and I hope I'll be seeing much more of it in the days ahead.
I had so many questions before last weekend. And honestly, I still don't know exactly what lies ahead. However, I had many of my questions answered as I saw a glimpse of hope rising after the storm.
And yes, believe it or not, my questions were answered in Fresno!
I arrived in Fresno on Friday for Meet in the Middle 4 Equality, and I was already being blown away from the very beginning! Local LGBT civil rights activists, like Meet in the Middle Organizer Robin McGehee and Jay Matthew from Erase the H8, have clearly put together a stellar operation for this weekend. And with support from other state groups like Courage Campaign (Rick Jacobs himself was there!) and OCEC, it looked like the town was already filling up for this one-of-a-kind event.
My friend Linda and I arrived in Fresno just in time for the press conference for local media. Before the radical right could get any start demonizing all of us as "teh homosexual invaezjon army!!111!!!!1", such luminaries as Cleve Jones, Lt. Dan Choi, and Robin Tyler & Diane Olson explained that they're here in Fresno not to provoke controversy but to start dialogue on marriage equality and greater issues of civil rights. Local activists like Robin McGehee also explained that they're here all the time and they're committed to working with allies in other social justice movements to achieve equality for all in The Central Valley.
Not too long after the presser, I checked into the hotel... But only for a few minutes. I then rushed off to the other "first event of Meet in the Middle", which was the pre-party hosted by Equality Army and Erase the H8 with most of the proceeds benefitting Meet in the Middle. I connected with a few old friends, met plenty of new ones, and all around had a blast partying with my fellow queer love warriors. It was a great way to get fired up and ready to go marching the next day!
And speaking of that next day, we started off the morning walking from Selma to Fresno early Saturday morning. Yes, that's right. Hundreds of queer folks and straight (but not narrow!) folks who care about civil rights marched up Golden State Highway, many marching the entire 14.5 mile route, to demonstrate how much we want full equality for all.
We sweated together. We walked together. We jogged and ran together when necessary. But together, we all sent a powerful statement on today's civil rights struggles.
After my group marched for about 10 miles and over 3 hours, we arrived at the rally site in Downtown Fresno. We were greeted by numerous thousands of cheers! And yes, the cheering supporters far outnumbered the scattered few counter-protesters insulting us.
Once all of us marchers arrived for the rally, we were also greeted by some amazing speakers.
Charlize Theron, T.R. Knight, Eric McCormack, Cleve Jones, Rick Jacobs, Robin McGehee, Robin Tyler, and many more came to speak. But more importantly, the progressive grassroots from the Central Valley was present... And was backed up by many good activists from all over California.
I met wonderful new friends in Fresno. I chatted with old friends from Courage Campaign. I hanged with my BFFs from OCEC. It was truly a beautiful experience.
This truly felt like the start of the movement to repeal Prop H8, the start of a new way forward on securing equality in California and nationwide. I had so many questions before last weekend. And honestly, I still don't know exactly what lies ahead. However, I had many of my questions answered as I saw a glimpse of hope rising after the storm.
Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to stay in Fresno for the LGBT Leadership Summit. Remember when I told you all about that Equality Summit in LA in January? Well, it looks like we've all learned some important lessons since then. Courage Campaign and Equality California are getting along better. Most activists are ready to move on from the past. And yes, we're mostly ready to build a winning campaign for 2010 and beyond!
Yep, it seemed like this time we didn't have a problem coming together. And really, that's what we all need to do in order to secure our civil rights once and for all. We've survived the mistakes of the past, so now we need to work together to build a better future.
I feel like I saw a glimpse of the future in Fresno last weekend. I saw it with the young students who are organizing their schools. I saw it with the various grassroots Equality Teams from all over the state that are committed to changing hearts and minds one door knock at a time. I saw it with the new outreach strategies that aim to educate by showing the people in our community, not hiding them. This is the future, and I hope I'll be seeing much more of it in the days ahead.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
